The Interview – Chef Sidney Schutte

Michelin two-star chef Sidney Schutte is happy to be heading the team at Cocina de Autor in the recently opened Grand Velas Los Cabos. Vincent Coluato, who worked with Sidney at Le Dibrije Zusje Amsterdam, will serve as the Executive Chef.

We had an opportunity to interview chef Sidney. The goal was to get a better understanding of the qualities of a chef who has worked in Europe and Asia, and to find out why he decided to study gastronomy. After a few moments of reflection, his answers surprised us.

“I don’t think you decide to become a chef. You either love it or you don’t. At 32 years old, I was working at a restaurant and I looked at the chef in the kitchen, and I suddenly realized, “I want to do that!”

This is how he began his journey, cooking simple food in his hometown of Middelburg. In time, he moved in search of the greater challenges offered by a luxury restaurant.

“In my mind, I had the goal of someday reaching a Michelin star. From that point on, I started cooking at a higher level.“

Since that time, Sidney Schutte has been named SVH Meesterkok, the highest recognition a chef can achieve in The Netherlands, awarded two Michelin stars for his fine dining restaurant Librije’s Zusje in Amsterdam, and named Best Chef of 2017 by Gault & Millau.

His notable success is attributed to a strong personal signature and distinctive flavors and ingredients. Seafood is generally an outstanding ingredient in his dishes, especially langoustines and oysters, the latter being his favorite culinary product.

“Most of the time I have a flavor in my head and I go into the kitchen trying to find that taste. That is how each recipe is created.

Ingredients are my source of inspiration. It is important to know what ingredients I would have available in Los Cabos. That was one of my biggest concerns. When I arrived and went to nearby farms, I realized there are more fresh options than I thought.

Los Cabos chose me to cook in this destination! You can expect a complete dining experience at Cocina de Autor Grand Velas. Enjoy a glass of wine, live music and bites of explosive flavors at your table. The menu will take you on a complete journey to Europe and parts of Mexico, changing a couple of times each season.”

Chef Sidney leads Librije’s Zusje restaurant in Amsterdam, a distinctive and contemporary location inside the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Awarded two Michelin stars only seven months after opening in 2014, it’s known to be “where the country meets the city and where gastronomy and hospitality combine.”

The menu fuses local ingredients with Asian influences. Sidney Schutte is inspired daily to create new dishes showcasing the finest regional produce from local farmers. Surely, he will do the same in Los Cabos!

A Sparkling Newcomer – Brian McCallen

“A dazzling all-inclusive beachfront hotel opened in December 2016, Grand Velas Los Cabos, a handsome crescent-shaped property set on a ridge angled to the Sea of Cortes. Featuring 304 spacious, ocean-view suites, the resort hotel is the fifth in Mexico built by the Vela brothers, Juan and Eduardo, whose trend-setting quest for excellence has redefined the all-inclusive experience in Los Cabos.

Construction materials were sourced from around the world: Italian ceramics for the angular gray and ivory-striped walls in the hotel’s lobby, a slab of red Turkish marble in the center of Piaf, a classic French restaurant, panels of backlit petrified wood from Mexico accenting the bar at Lucca, an elegant Italian trattoria.

In addition, three infinity-edge pools set above the beach, and a two-level spa with a beauty salon, barbershop and large hydrotherapy pool is a world unto itself. This family-friendly getaway also has a Kids and a Teens Club.

For gourmet dining, Cocina de Autor headed by Michelin two-star chef Sidney Schutte, is a culinary triumph that offers adventurous diners an explosion of flavor in every bite. This fine dining establishment, part of the resort’s all-inclusive plan, has been named among CNN’s best new restaurants for 2017. A set menu and wine pairing is available. Throughout the resort, more than 50 expertly curated wines are available to guests in the all-inclusive plan, another tribute to a unique hotel whose sole purpose is to ensure guest satisfaction.”

Golf and fishing are tourist attractions that rebounded some years ago in Los Cabos. It took a titanic effort. Unprecedented events that drew the eyes of the world to this peninsula were organized, and an environment of beautiful sea and desert was discovered.